Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Dec 2000

Vol. 527 No. 3

Written Answers. - Organic Sector.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

164 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his attention has been drawn to research by the UK Pesticide Action Network which has found that 520 species of insects and mites, 50 plant diseases and 113 weeds have become resistant to the pesticides meant to control these; and if, like the farmers in the Falkland Islands he will put in place a strategy to make Ireland a wholly organic producer. [28519/00]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I am not aware of research by the UK pesticide action network in this matter.

All organisms are characterised by variation in type resulting in different strains being present in any given population. This variation is natural and is influenced by and responds to environmental impacts such as climate, soil type, host pathogen relationship, competition and stress. It leads to a continuous evolution in the strains occurring in populations. The variation in insect, mite, plant disease and weed populations is influenced and altered by changing agricultural systems.

Resistance to pesticides is a naturally occurring, inheritable adjustment in the ability of individuals in a population to survive a treatment that would normally give effective control. The degree and rapidity of the development of resistance varies, depending on whether the pesticide acts at a single-gene or multi-gene site in the pathogen. Loss in level of performance of a pesticide is usually gradual for pathogens with multi-gene resistance, while loss of performance for those pathogens with single-gene resistance may be more rapid.

The use of single pesticides to control pathogens in agriculture, in human health programmes, and for industrial purposes, has accelerated the pace of change by selecting minority strains within populations and favouring their propagation, since competition is lacking. This has led to the development of resistance in certain pathogens. In recent years, the regulatory authorities have become more acutely aware of the risks associated with the repeated use on pest populations, over an extended time, of individual pesticides that have a simple mode of action. Through ensuring use of pesticides with different modes of action and though restricting the rates and frequency of application, the selection and propagation of minority strains can be reduced or eliminated.

I have established an organic development committee, on foot of a recommendation by the Agri-Food 2010 committee, to draw up a coherent strategy for the development of the organic sector. I have asked the committee to make its recommendation to me by April 2001.